In fact, those looking to buy an Xbox 360 may be out of luck. It is largely unavailable now, and the few that can be had are fetching double and triple the $400 retail price from online stores and eBay.

How could that be, with four weeks left in the shopping season? Could Microsoft have so badly calculated demand as to exhaust its available supply four days into the shopping season? If so, what were they thinking? A new marketing campaign to become the Grinch, or to drive would be shoppers into the arms of Sony? And given the fierce cynicism of young consumers, doesn’t a buzz-inducing shortage seem just the sort of cue that could make Gatesland even more loathsome to the under 25 crowd?